Jensen Beach Webcam – Atlantic Surf on Hutchinson Island

The Jensen Beach Webcam points east across the Atlantic from the Hutchinson Island shoreline in Martin County, Florida, on the stretch of coast marketed as the Treasure Coast. The frame is built around the dune line: sea grape fills the foreground, a wide strip of pale sand sits behind it, and the ocean runs from the shorebreak out to a flat horizon. A flagpole and a thatched shelter stand at the right edge, which gives the wind something to register against. Surf here is usually small and short period, so most days the camera holds knee to waist high lines peeling toward the sand.

About Jensen Beach

Jensen Beach is an unincorporated community and census designated place in Martin County, with a population of 12,652 at the 2020 census. The Indian River Lagoon runs through the middle of it, so the shops and houses sit on the mainland while the ocean beach the camera watches is on Hutchinson Island, the barrier island reached by the Jensen Beach Causeway.

The name comes from John Laurence Jensen, a Danish immigrant who planted a pineapple plantation here in 1881. By 1895 the settlement was shipping more than a million boxes a season and calling itself the Pineapple Capital of the World. Freezes and fires in 1908 and 1910 broke the trade, and it was finished by 1920. The sand in frame is also working habitat: loggerhead, green and leatherback turtles nest along Hutchinson Island from March 1 through October 31, and staked nest markers can appear against the dune in the Jensen Beach Webcam frame.

Weather and Climate in Jensen Beach

Summer is the long season. July and August average a high of 33 C (91 F) and a low near 24 C (76 F), and the humidity holds overnight, so mornings often open on a hazy, flat sea. Afternoon thunderstorms are close to routine from June to September, building as a dark line offshore before crossing the frame as a curtain of rain. Annual rainfall is around 1,253 millimeters (49 inches).

January is the other extreme, averaging a high of 23 C (74 F) and a low of 13 C (56 F), with cleaner light and better organized swell from northeast wind events. April sits between at 28 C (82 F), and October still runs 30 C (85 F). The Atlantic hurricane season spans June 1 to November 30 and peaks in August and September, which is when the surf gets its size: ground swell from a system far offshore can double the wave height overnight while the sky above the beach stays clear.

Things to Do Near Jensen Beach

Indian Riverside Park sits on the lagoon, 25 hectares (63 acres) with a 213 meter (700 foot) fishing pier and the Treasure Coast Children’s Museum. Out on the island, Jensen Sea Turtle Beach has lifeguard towers staffed seven days a week, free parking, volleyball courts and the Sand Dune Cafe. Hutchinson Island carries 17 public beaches in all, from Waveland Beach in the north down to Bathtub Reef Beach.

South along the island, the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center in Stuart runs guided sea turtle walks through nesting season, and the House of Refuge at Gilbert’s Bar was built in 1876 to shelter shipwrecked sailors. It is the last of the dozen raised along Florida’s Atlantic coast and the oldest standing building in Martin County. On the mainland, Jammin Jensen fills Jensen Beach Boulevard on Thursday evenings from 6 to 9:30 pm.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

Other coastal cameras worth a look when the surf goes flat.

• Pompano Beach Webcam
• Jeffreys Bay Webcam
• Port Canaveral Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Jensen Beach Webcam located?

On the Atlantic side of Hutchinson Island at Jensen Beach, in Martin County on Florida’s Treasure Coast. Stuart lies southwest, Fort Pierce to the north.

What can you see on the Jensen Beach Webcam?

Sea grape dunes, open sand and Atlantic surf, with a flagpole and thatched shelter at the right of frame. Beachgoers, lifeguard vehicles and passing weather cross the picture all day.

Is Jensen Beach good for surfing?

It is a beach break that needs swell. Everyday conditions run small and short period, and size arrives with hurricane ground swell or a strong northeast blow.

What is the weather like in Jensen Beach, Florida?

Subtropical. Summer highs average 33 C (91 F) with daily afternoon storms, and January averages 23 C (74 F) by day.

When is sea turtle nesting season in Jensen Beach?

March 1 through October 31. Loggerhead, green and leatherback turtles all nest along Hutchinson Island, and beachfront lighting is restricted.

Who operates the Jensen Beach camera?

Coastal Camera Network runs the stream, and The Surfers View publishes it alongside a live surf and tide report.

Source: The Surfers View